A Guide to Using Your Pedometer
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Walking is a great way to help you lose weight, keep the weight off, and improve your health.
Use a Pedometer to:
• Measure how many steps you take.
• Get feedback about your activity.
• Plan, track, and reach your physical activity goals.
How to wear your Pedometer:
• Clip it to your clothing, or place it in a pocket or a bag that you carry or wear.
• Use the leash and clip to keep from dropping or losing your pedometer.
• Do not get the pedometer wet.
Pedometers do not measure:
• Walking for less than 10 steps or 10 seconds at a time.
• Cycling, swimming, some dancing, basketball, and tennis.
• Distances covered while using a manual wheelchair—this requires an odometer/cyclometer.
Getting Started:
• Wear your pedometer every day for 1 week.
• The pedometer will count your steps in a 24-hour period beginning and ending at midnight.
• Record your steps in your Daily Food and Physical Activity Diary.
• At the end of 1 week, add up your daily steps.
• Determine your daily average by dividing total steps by the number of days.
10,000 steps per day (about 5 miles) meets the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
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A Guide to Using Your Pedometer
Increasing your Steps:
• Starting with the second week, set a goal to increase your steps. (Example: If you average 3,000 steps per day in the first week, then set a goal to increase to 3,500 steps per day.)
• Start at a comfortable level and gradually increase steps.
• Create a weekly walking plan/schedule.
• Record your steps every day.
• Set goals that you can reach.
• Update your goals every week.
• Start where you are and build up.
• Choose an activity and a setting that you enjoy: outside, at a mall, at a gym, etc.
Ways to add walking to your lifestyle:
• Take a 10-minute walk whenever you can.
• Take the stairs (up or down) instead of the elevator.
• Take 10-minute walks during lunch and breaks at work.
• Park farther away and walk.
• Get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
• Step in place while watching television.
• Walk your dog (or borrow a friend’s dog).
• Mow your lawn with a push mower or do other yard work.
• For short distances, walk instead of driving your car.
• Take the long way when walking to meetings.
• Find a regular walking partner.
Other important facts:
• For health benefits and weight maintenance, aim for walking or other physical activity for 150 minutes (2 1⁄2 hours) per week, in periods of at least 10 minutes.
• To help you lose weight, walk or be physically active more than 2 ½ hours per week. Weight loss may be achieved with 300 minutes (5 hours) per week of physical activity.
• Walking and wheeling are easy, inexpensive, and you can do them almost anywhere.
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